Japan’s ‘de facto’ embassy defaced in fishing protest

By Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter

Thu, Mar 08, 2018 - Page 1

The doorplate of Japan’s de facto embassy was yesterday targeted by a pro-unification supporter, who plastered it with red paint to protest against Tokyo’s controversial chasing of a Taiwanese fishing boat over the weekend.

At about noon yesterday, China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) local chapter director Chen Ching-feng (陳清峰) hurled red paint over the doorplate of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s Taipei office, while allegedly shouting: “Come out you damn Japanese” in Mandarin.

Chen was arrested and taken to the Taipei Police Department’s Songshan Precinct for questioning.

Japanese patrol boats on Saturday and Sunday chased Taiwanese fishing vessel Tung Pan Chiu No. 28 in waters near the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) and used water cannon against it on Sunday, allegedly because the vessel went beyond a designated zone for fishing activities stipulated by a 2013 Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement.

The government has questioned the need for Tokyo to conduct hot-pursuit tactics and lodged a stern protest with Tokyo over what it called a “disproportionate enforcement of the law.”

CUPP member Lee Cheng-lung (李承龍) told reporters that Chen was indignant at the inappropriate treatment of Taiwanese fishermen and the government’s lukewarm reaction.

“Several officials in President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, including Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢), Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), are currently in Japan, but they have all demonstrated incompetence in the wake of the incident,” Lee said.

Chen Chu, Lin and officials from five Democratic Progressive Party-governed cities and counties left for Japan on Sunday to promote Taiwanese food products.

They are due to return today.

Chen Ching-feng believed the dignity of Taiwanese had been undermined by the incident, and he wanted to express his and the public’s grievances, Lee said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing regret over the incident and adding that it had asked the National Police Agency to increase patrols to prevent a recurrence.

It also urged the public to refrain from taking violent or irrational action against foreign representative offices, as it could tarnish the nation’s international image and damage its interests.